STEP grant application available online, with 'no deadline' process

Posted: Sunday, April 25, 2010

JUNEAU - Under a new state fiscal year funding schedule, applications for the State Training and Employment Program will be accepted year-round.

"This is an open, more streamlined grant solicitation with no deadlines to submit Training Grant Proposals," said Corine Geldhof, director of the department's Division of Business, which administers STEP with the Alaska Workforce Investment Board. "However STEP grants are limited by the availability of funds each fiscal year."

Nonprofit and for-profit organizations, educators, industry trainers, employers and agencies with the capacity to meet both the legal and policy STEP requirements are encouraged to apply.

STEP grants are funded by one-tenth of one percent of employee contributions to Alaska's unemployment insurance trust fund. They are awarded in priority industries, such as health care, construction, information technology, education, natural resource development, transportation, hospitality and tourism, and seafood harvesting and processing.

Grants are awarded through a competitive process, with AWIB members assisting the labor commissioner in determining the final projects. For a grant application, go to http://alaska.gov and click on "Notices" in the top menu bar, view by department "Labor" and under "Grants" select "State Training and Employment Program Requests for Training Grant Proposals for Fiscal Year 2011 beginning 7/½0-6/30-11."

For more information, e-mail dbp.grants@alaska.gov with "STEP" in the subject line.